Strabon
What Strabon is
Strabon is a free, self-hosted spatiotemporal RDF store for linked geospatial information that changes over time. It stores this data and supports querying through stSPARQL, an extension for stRDF, plus a subset of GeoSPARQL for static geospatial RDF. Spatial support includes selections, joins, functions, multiple Coordinate Reference Systems, and geometric objects serialized as OGC WKT or GML. For temporal data, Strabon records valid time on triples and provides temporal functions for representing events, domains, and changing facts. The software extends Sesame, now called RDF4J, and uses its components with a backend relational database for thematic, spatial, and temporal data. Strabon supports SPARQL 1.1 and reasoning and is released under the Mozilla Public License. Linux and Windows are listed platforms. Deployment instructions describe PostgreSQL 12, PostGIS 3.0, Maven, and Tomcat. Project materials include an stRDF/stSPARQL tutorial, a reference for spatial and temporal functions, and separate user and developer mailing lists. Documented applications include timeseries storage, precision farming, greenhouse-gas inventories, sea-quality assessment, hazard services, and groundwater modeling.
Who it suits
Strabon suits technical teams that need self-hosted storage and querying for linked spatial data with temporal context. It is relevant to geospatial, environmental, and scientific applications.
What it does well
- Free under Mozilla Public License
- Supports spatial and temporal queries
- OGC WKT and GML serialization
- SPARQL 1.1 and reasoning
- Self-hosted Linux and Windows deployment
What to know first
- GeoSPARQL support is only partial
- Self-hosted deployment requires setup
- PostgreSQL and PostGIS are specified
- Other GeoSPARQL components remain underway
Limits
Strabon is free, but deployment requires a self-hosted relational backend and application server. GeoSPARQL implementation currently covers a subset for static geospatial RDF, with other components still underway.
Getting started
- Open the Strabon website and follow the download link to GitHub
- Prepare a Linux or Windows environment with PostgreSQL 12 and PostGIS 3.0
- Build the project with Maven
- Deploy the endpoint on Tomcat
- Use the stRDF/stSPARQL tutorial and reference
Verdict
Strabon combines geospatial RDF storage with temporal modeling and specialized query languages. It offers broad spatial functions and self-hosted deployment, while GeoSPARQL coverage is still incomplete.
Questions
Is Strabon free?
Yes. Strabon has a free plan and is released under the Mozilla Public License.
Which platforms does Strabon support?
Linux and Windows are listed, with self-hosted deployment.
What query languages does it support?
It supports stSPARQL for stRDF and a subset of GeoSPARQL for static geospatial RDF, plus SPARQL 1.1.
Does Strabon support temporal data?
Yes. It supports valid time on triples, temporal functions, and temporal domain modeling.
What database setup is described?
The installation instructions describe PostgreSQL 12 with PostGIS 3.0, Maven, and Tomcat.
Facts from Strabon's own pages
- Backend
- Strabon extends RDF4J components to manage thematic, spatial, and temporal data stored in a backend relational database. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The repository installation instructions describe setting up Strabon with PostgreSQL 12 and PostGIS 3.0, building it with Maven, and deploying an endpoint on Tomcat. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The download page links to an stRDF and stSPARQL tutorial and provides an stSPARQL reference describing spatial and temporal extension functions. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Download
- The download page directs users to the project's GitHub repository for the latest version. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- GeoSPARQL scope
- The site says implementation of the other GeoSPARQL components is underway. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- License
- Strabon is released under the Mozilla Public License. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Maintainer
- The project site credits the KRR&A Team and links to the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- Repository instructions cover installation on Ubuntu 20.04 and Windows; the page says some listed PostgreSQL tuning options do not work on Windows. · github.com, 7 Oct 2026
- Product
- Strabon is a spatiotemporal RDF store for storing linked geospatial data that changes over time and querying it with extensions of SPARQL. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Query languages
- Strabon supports stSPARQL for querying data represented in stRDF, and a subset of GeoSPARQL for static geospatial RDF data. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Spatial data
- It supports spatial datatypes and serializes geometric objects in OGC WKT and GML formats. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Spatial queries
- It offers spatial selections and joins, spatial functions, and support for multiple Coordinate Reference Systems. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project lists separate mailing lists for users and developers; the developers channel also receives check-in messages. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Technology
- Strabon extends Sesame, now called RDF4J, and uses its components to manage thematic, spatial, and temporal data stored in a backend RDBMS. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Temporal data
- It supports valid time for triples, temporal functions, and modeling temporal domains and concepts such as events and facts that change over time. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Use case
- The site describes Strabon being used to store and query timeseries data in a MELODIES use case. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- The project history describes use in applications including precision farming, greenhouse-gas inventories, sea-quality assessment, hazard information services, and groundwater modeling. · strabon.di.uoa.gr, 7 Oct 2026
Where Strabon stands on Freedom251
- RDF Databases#22 of 26